BHUBANESWAR: A day after some miscreants shot dead Krushna Chandra Pratihari, a servitor of the Puri Jagannath temple, police on Thursday said the killers have been identified. Multiple teams, comprising senior police officers, have fanned out across the state to arrest the accused.
"We have identified the killers. They will be caught soon. Raids are being conducted at different places," Puri SP, Kanwar Vishal Singh said. He, however, did not divulge their identities.
Pratihari’s brother, Narasingha, had named four persons — Tutu, Kunmuni, Baba Mahapatra and Hari Panda — all residents of Puri, as the assailants in the FIR.
But the police are yet to confirm whether the four persons, who have been named in the FIR, are the real accused or not.
They suspect the motive of the murder could either be land dispute or revenge.
Pratihari was a known land dealer in the locality. He is suspected to have developed hostility with someone over the land business. "Pratihari’s brother told us that two persons (Tutu and Kunmuni) had met the deceased to finalise a land deal. He further claimed that the duo, along with two others (Baba and Hari), killed his brother," a police officer said.
The deceased’s family members strongly believe Pratihari was killed over past enmity. "I saw the four persons running after killing my brother. They told me that they fulfilled the vow of Kalia Singhari and Dolagobinda. I urge the police to bring Kalia and Dolagobinda, along with the four other suspects, under the purview of investigation," Narasingha’s FIR read.
Kalia and Dolagobinda are the brothers of Guna Singhari, a former BJD councillor and servitor, who was gunned down in Puri in August 2012. The deceased Pratihari was the prime accused and key conspirator in the Singhari murder case. Following the murder, Pratihari was arrested and kept behind bars for some months. Pratihari, along with five other accused, was acquitted in January this year.
"We do not rule out the possibility of revenge as a motive. The timing of the murder, which has bee committed just two months after the deceased’s acquittal, would be linked to the 2012 killing. The acquittal might have infuriated Singhari’s family or supporters," an officer of the Town police station said.
